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PlanetSide 2 - PlayStation 4

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Summary:

Planetside 2 places you at the centre of an entrenched alien power struggle. Choose from one of three warring factions and descend into a sprawling, massively-multiplayer, shooting experience. Seven classes are available, complete with a full arsenal of tanks, aircraft and mechanized armour. Clash and coordinate with hundreds of other online players in daring military takeovers as you fight for control of Auraxis.

7.5

PlanetSide 2 was developed for the PlayStation 4 by Sony Online Entertainment and the Daybreak Game Company. Published and released back in June of 2015, PlanetSide 2 brings us back to the world of tactical gaming. With improved graphics and a full fledged release onto the next generation of consoles, we couldn’t wait to get our hands dirty with the game. The developers promised even more features to go along with the HD improvements and the early release trailers had us pretty much hooked. The first PlanetSide had its moments but we thought there was room for improvement in a lot of places. So without further ado let’s jump in and see what’s going on with PlanetSide 2.

So PlanetSide occupies a very interesting space in the world of net gen gaming. It is proverbially a free to play FPS game exclusively for the PS4 and the PC. That alone makes it an oddly demographic specific title. Still, there is a slight touch of AAA development behind it and that surprises us as far as F2P is concerned. The graphics are great and the action is hectic, so what isn’t to like? Well we shall definitely get into that but let’s talk about what is good about the title first.

In most hectic action based FPS games you play one solitary soldier that can surmount even the gravest of odds in order to save his troops, the civilians, and the world at large. You are Master Chief or Shepard or some Call of Duty generic character. Whatever you are, you blow through your enemies like they were paper. In PlanetSide 2 this idea is thrown out the window. For as action packed as this game is, it isn’t like the action movies. You are only a cog in the war and you can’t be expected to carry the load all on your own. Death comes raining down quick and before you know it you are spawning into a fresh body, ready to give your life for your people.

All players do their battle on a solitary server and the point of the battle is simply to kill the other team and gain control of their side of the map. It’s an endless war full of bloody choke points, aerial assault, vehicular manslaughter, and hectic hand to hand combat. When we say that the war is endless we really do mean that. Play isn’t doled out in 15 minute matches, nope, it all occurs on one map with no end in sight. Jump in and out of the game, accrue EXP, but don’t ever think you’ll see the end of the fight. You can’t win. You can’t become the MVP of your team.

The only way to change the landscape of the war is to take over enough interconnected zones. Once you overrun an entire continent combat will be turned off for a short period of time. During this time bonuses are given out to the players of the team that took over the landmass. Then, before you know it, everyone is back to war once more. While this might not appeal to the CoD or Halo crowd, it is definitely much more intriguing than it appears. There is something nice about being able to be just another soldier without the weight of all mankind on our shoulders. Instead you have to focus on team building and working together with your fellow soldier.

Play begins by picking one of three different factions: New Conglomerate, Terran Republic, or the Vanu Sovereignty. The game doesn’t tell you anything about these different groups but you can go online to read into their back history. Trust us, though, lore really isn’t the strong point to this title and that sort of is a shame. With a compelling drama behind the warfare the team at Sony could have had something really unique. Instead the different groups end up feeling like generic armies waging war with vanilla faces. Nothing unique or interesting about them.

Once you have picked your faction you get to do a little bit of character customization and we are stressing the 'little bit' aspect. Then you are dropped into the warp gate area of your faction and you can explore for a little bit. Computer terminals tell you the basics of the game but they don’t really tell you how to play. Instead you are left to figure out the control scheme, how to upgrade, and what actually entails taking over an enemy territory. There is a tutorial continent available, Daybreak, but it only gets you slightly more in tuned with the goings on of the game. It is here that PlanetSide 2 has its biggest failings. There is no reason that we should be confused and have to learn everything on the fly in the game. Many players will be turned off enough to turn away from the title at this point. Those that stick it through will eventually warm up to everything.

Once you are fairly familiar with the actual game you can start thinking of leveling your character. Many people rightly worry that F2P games are broken by cash shop incentives. Fortunately PlanetSide 2 is completely fair. All incentives that you can have can be earned by playing the game and leveling up. You’ll get access to new classes, vehicles, weapons, and other upgrades as you earn more certification points. There is a paywall for minor XP boosts and other cosmetic items but they don’t break the equality of the game.

Gaining certs is the primary fuel for most gamers as it is the way that they can tangibly upgrade their character builds. It is a slow going process but there are plenty of free bonuses that boost your ability to earn. The only downside we found to this process was that we were unable to try and weapons before we bought them, unlike in the original PlanetSide, which makes every purchase a grindy risk.

PlanetSide 2 is certainly worth playing. As an F2P game it is unbeatable for the PS4.

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